Hiroshi Masumura

He is best known for his adaptations of Kenji Miyazawa's children novels, including his work on the anime film Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985), and for several manga series set in the fantasy universe Atagoul.

[2] In 1983 alone, he released adaptations of Night on the Galactic Railroad, Gauche the Cellist, Kaze no Matasaburo and The Life of Budori Gusuko.

Many of Masumura's manga feature anthropomorphic cats and humans living together in the utopian fantasy land "Atagoul" on the continent "Yonezaad", which spans fantastic landscapes made up of minerals and megasized plants.

[2] The idea of cats and humans living at equal terms derives from Miyazawa's short story The Acorns and Wildcat.

"[5] The world-building of Atagoul is influenced by Kenji Miyazawa's fantasy world of Itahov,[3] which he could relate to on an emotional level.